The Association luxembourgeoise de la presse cinématographe (ALPC) in its verdict said the film was “mind blowing,” citing its complexity. “The Luxembourg critics appreciated this journey into the time turnstile offered by the director.”

Tenet sees an unnamed protagonist, played by John David Washington, try to prevent nuclear war after scientists discover objects that travelled backwards through time.

This marks the second time that a Nolan film was named picture of the year by the ALPC, following 2018’s Dunkirk.

Second place in 2020 went to WW1 drama 1917 by Sam Mendes, followed by Collectiv, a Luxembourg co-produced documentary that follows a group of journalists as they uncover Romanian government corruption.

Other finalists included Mank by David Fincher and Todd Haynes’s Dark Waters.

Numeours films and blockbusters scheduled for 2020 were pushed back because of cinemas closing at intervals across the globe as part of lockdown measures.

This includes the latest James Bond installment (No Time to Die), Marvel’s Black Widow standalone movie, a new adaption of sci-fi classic Dune, but also Wes Andersons’s newest film, The French dispatch.

Last year, the ALPC chose Todd Philips’s Joker as its top film. Other recent critics’ choices include Spotlight by Tom McCarthy, Birdman by Alejandro González Iñárritu and Mommy by Xavier Dolan.

This article was first published in French on paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.